Before Hollywood and Las Vegas, there was Fort Lee, New Jersey—the place where movies and lavish nightclub entertainment first began under the watchful eye of the mob (and some say the law). If you enjoy reading about the lawless decade of the 1920s, right through the Great Depression, and want to learn firsthand of the people who pulled it all together, you might like to read “BRIDGE TO THE RIVIERA” by Tom Austin.

“The Riviera nightclub always fascinated me as a kid. The star power that lit up that stage was almost as bright as the New York skyline it looked out on. Tom Austin brings you in the front door.”

— Bob Gaudio, composer; member, Songwriters Hall of Fame;

member, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“When I was a teenager just beginning my singing career, Al Martino — my friend and a wonderful singer — took me to the Riviera for dinner and a show. I’ll never forget how this Fort Lee, New Jersey nightclub knocked me out. Perched at the edge of the Palisades over-looking the George Washington Bridge, it was the ultimate in style, class, and excitement. High Society, the Mob, and the greatest entertainers in America all rubbed elbows. Tom Austin’s new novel takes me back to that time and place of leggy chorus girls and revolving bandstands and hidden casinos. I wish it had lasted longer, so that I could have performed there.”

— Frankie Avalon, star of stage, screen, and television.

“Next to his family, the Riviera in Fort Lee, New Jersey was my dad’s life. I wish he were still here, so he could read Tom Austin’s new book, which recreates that one-of-a-kind nightclub and its colorful era.”